When spoiled playboy Chris Winters (John Payne) joins the Marine Corps, he tests the skill and patience of tough drill instructor Dixie Smith (Randolph Scott), who dedicates himself to making Winters into a real Marine. But after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the recruit's cocky selfishness is replaced by selfless valor, and he eventually earns the love of a beautiful Navy nurse (Maureen O'Hara). The 1942 film, shot in cooperation with the USMC, received an Academy Award nomination for its vibrant Technicolor cinematography and contains authentic scenes of Marine combat training and ground drills.